Quesadillas

During the winter when I'm leaving work, the sky is already dark. By the time I get home, I'm drained from a long day of analyzing cases and researching law. Cooking is restorative for me. The acts of chopping and stirring, smelling and tasting, clear my mind. I enjoy it. Sometimes, however, physical tiredness overtakes and I just want to put together a dish that requires very little effort--something that is done in minutes. That's when I turn to quesadillas.

The best thing about quesadillas is that you can use anything you like in them. Choose a meat--beef, chicken, shrimp--or go vegetarian. Jon likes no meat and sauteed portobello mushrooms in his. Choose a cheese; we prefer the slight heat of Monterrey Jack but any will due. Add some vegetables; we love roasted jalapenos and caramelized onions. Red or green peppers would be great.

I start by heating some extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. I add thinly sliced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until they turn golden. In the meantime, I heat the broiler and roast some jalapenos until blackened and blistered. I then put them in a bowl covered with plastic wrap. The steam helps the skins peel easily. After a few minutes, peel them and slice or dice finely. Discard the seeds.

I've recently discovered a love for broiling fish and seafood. The high heat of the broiler quickly cooks the fish while leaving it juicy. For these quesadillas, I broil some shrimp simply seasoned with salt and pepper. Broil it for just a few minutes until it has just turned pink. Don't over cook it as it will be tough. Is there anything worse than tough shrimp? No, there is not.

Heat a non-non-stick (hmmm...that's a double negative. Anyway, don't use non-stick) skillet over medium-high heat. Place a tortilla in the skillet, add the cheese and other ingredients, top with a little more cheese and put on the top tortilla. Check periodically and when the bottom is golden brown, carefully flip the tortilla. When the second side is browned, remove from skillet, cut into wedges and serve with salsa and avocado.